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Wilson Center Experts

Karen Tandy

Mexico Institute

Expertise:

Mexico

Karen Tandy is senior vice president of Public Affairs and Communications for Motorola. In this capacity, she oversees country management in the 72 countries where Motorola operates, the company's global government affairs, corporate and external communications and corporate responsibility organizations and supporting strategies, including the Motorola Foundation and the company's environmental initiatives. Tandy serves as Motorola's top public policy spokesperson on issues related to global telecom policy, trade, regulation, spectrum allocation and country relations. She leads Motorola's internal and external communications programs.

Prior to joining Motorola in 2007, Tandy served as Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), where she managed a $2.4 billion budget and approximately 11,000 employees across the U.S. and in 86 foreign offices. Tandy worked with many foreign heads of state and expanded the DEA's foreign presence by, among other things, establishing the first U.S. intelligence-sharing agreements with China and Russia. Prior to becoming DEA Administrator, Tandy was Associate Deputy Attorney General, responsible for developing national drug enforcement policy and strategies. Tandy previously held a variety of positions in the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice and served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia and in the Western District of Washington.

Tandy serves on the board of directors for TechAmerica, the U.S. technology industry's largest advocacy organization, and on the advisory board of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas. She also serves as a member of the Campaign Leadership Committee for the National Law Enforcement Museum. Tandy is also a board member of The Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Tandy earned a bachelor's degree and a law degree from Texas Tech University.